Our 1994 interview with the late poet and activist

Way back in the time before time (which is to say, 1994), Bill and Charlene Sewady talked with the poet, activist and hero. This seems like an appropriate time to reach back into the archives and revisit that interview.

Signs of Compassion

When you work Downtown, when you're here day after day, you deaden a bit to some of the things you see. A couple huddled in a doorway on a cold November morning, a worn-out blanket barely covering them; cops on bikes pulling a homeless man up off of the sidewalk, a puddle of vomit at his feet; an elderly gentleman in suit and tie, stalking down the street and shouting curses at the demons leaking from his head; none of these things provoke a second glance after a while. There's a lot of suffering here for sure and very little that one person can do. A dollar here, a dollar there, maybe that helps a bit, but the overall feeling is one of powerlessness, and slowly you become hardened to it.

Today, though, I noticed this sign in the window of Lindy's Diner, and that numbness thawed just a little bit. No, Lindy's isn't going to solve the problems of homelessness and hunger. And one single meal on one single day isn't "enough." But it is something, a reminder that hardness isn't the answer, that compassion is. And that even if we can never do enough, we can, and should, still try.

It's an expletive filled hour or so that isn't afraid to explore some (hilariously) risque content, so maybe wait until the drive home from work before checking this out. But definitely DO check it out! Because these guys are funny and Courtney is too.

And hey! We're bringing our own podcast back from the grave, so watch this space for a brand new episode!

Everybody knows that kids have the weirdest, most wonderful broken brains on the planet. And if you've ever looked at drawing made by the under-8 set, you've probably wondered what it be like if the lumpy, tentacled beast depicted actually roamed the earth.

The Monster Project has tasked a group of artists with bringing these child-drawn monstrosities ever so slightly closer to our world by rendering them in a realistic fashion, and the results are wonderful. Check them out, and also note that they have a kickstarter, so if you're moved by their work, you can support it directly.

We scoop up what our competition won't touch

Once again, it's time for the Alibi's managing editor, me, to dig through the deluge of press releases that come flooding into our email account so I can bring you the stories that our competition isn't brave enough to cover!

Hi Ty, In January the Huffington Post boldly claimed that 2015 is the year of chickpea flour.

Holy shit, 2015 is the year of chickpea flour. And here I am scarfing down bagfuls of sorghum flour like an ignorant rube. Anyway, for those of you who are celebrating this important year, the author of the press release would like to direct your attention to this, the Chickpea Flour Cookbook.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Purcell Tire and Service Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, moved its location in September of 2015.

Didn't see that one in the pages of the Free Press, did you?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Trigger Electric Bull Horn

This horn man. This horn offers "maximum power in a compact, rugged, bright red package." This horn is loud, and you know it's loud, because Trigger Air Horn's slogan is "Go Loud or Go Home." And they certainly aren't going home. Why? Because THEY ARE GOING LOUD INSTEAD. SO LOUD.

Also, "they are so loud they are not for sale in North Dakota and Wyoming."

First of all, this subject line is pretty presumptuous. But it's got nothing on the squirm-inducing body of the email, which can be nicely encapsulated in this quote from the release: "A recent scientific discovery now found how the virus can be 'flushed out' of his cranny."

No word on what the cranny-flushing scientific discovery is, or for that matter how we know that herpes is a he. There's a web link included, but I'm not going to post it here because I'm pretty sure that going there will give your computer herpes.